Grab your friends and your spiritwear and join us for PS 166’s Community Ice Skating Night!

Friday, February 10 at 6 PM
Wollman Rink in Central Park
Get Tickets HERE!

EVENT DETAILS

• Children 2 and under are complimentary.
• Please arrive as early as 5:30 PM if you would like additional time to collect your skates and avoid lines.
• Child Therapists are complimentary. Please contact inclusion@ps166pta.org to request a ticket for your children's therapist.
• Tickets must be purchased by Friday, Jan. 27th & will be distributed at drop off on Thursday & Friday, Feb. 9 & 10th.

Please contact volunteers@ps166pta.org if your child rides the school bus in the morning to make alternate arrangements for ticket pick-up.

Join us on Saturday, January 21st at 5 pm for family movie night!  This year, we will be showing Turning Red and DC League of Super-Pets.

Doors Open: 4:30 pm
Movies Start: 5:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $5/person

Concessions including popcorn and snacks will be available for purchase.

Purchase tickets HERE! See you at the movies!

PALP- Parents as Learning Partners
February 15: Grade 3-5
February 16: Grade K-2

All kindergarten and first grade families in the Save for College Program can now activate and view their children’s NYC Scholarship Accounts!

Every student enrolled in the Save for College Program automatically receives an NYC Scholarship Account with an initial $100 from NYC Kids RISE, unless their family chooses not to participate by “opting-out.” You can earn more funds for your child’s NYC Scholarship Account by taking additional steps, the first of which is activating and viewing the  account (Building Block 1). Activate and view your child’s NYC Scholarship Account now to earn a $25 reward:

ACTIVATE ACCOUNT

• If you’ve already activated your child’s NYC Scholarship Account, log back in to view the account.
• Learn if your child is eligible to participate in the Save for College Program here.

Proofs from Make-up / Retake Day are ready to view and order! If your child was photographed on December 8, please go to our Picture Day Page to view! It is also not too late to get in any orders from the first Picture Day, including class photos!

The 2nd order deadline has been extended to January 24, 2023. 

Please be reminded that our PTA receives a percentage of the profits of orders placed by January 24!  
https://iloveschoolpictures.com/PS166/5444

We will host two Open Houses for prospective kindergarten parents, one in-person and one virtual. We will need several  parent volunteers to make the in-person event happen!  A sign-up will be sent out next week. If you are interested in volunteering, please read the information below. 

In-person event:
Date: January 10
Time: 6-7:30 PM
Volunteers will need to be here at 5:45. 
There will be a an introductory info session and then a self guided tour of a number of rooms (some classrooms and specials rooms.) Those rooms will be opened and will each be staffed by 2 parent volunteers. Additional volunteers will be stationed in every floor's hallway.

Volunteers (and guests) must be vaccinated. 

Guests will be limited (at first) to those who have children born in 2018, applying to kindergarten.  If there is still space when it gets closer to the date, we will open up to parents of older children. 

If you have a child born in 2018, you may sign up to attend the Open House. 
Please make sure to choose which Open House you are registering for on the form. REGISTER HERE

The application for Kindergarten Admissions for the 2023-2024 school year opened on December 7, 2022 and will close on January 20, 2023.  If your child was born in 2018 and lives in New York City, they are eligible to attend kindergarten in fall 2023. 

NEW!: This year, there will be one application which will include both General Education and G&T.  All application is through MySchools. You will not need an activation or creation code. Simply visit  https://www.myschools.nyc/en/Opens in a new browser tab to begin.

On your child's application, you may choose up to 12 schools. Choose schools  in order of true preference.  Admissions Priorities  will apply. If you currently have a child attending PS 166 in grades K-4, be sure to list that child  on the application so your applicant will receive sibling priority. 

NYC FITNESSGRAM is an annual fitness assessment for students in grades kindergarten-twelve that helps students and their families develop personal goals for lifelong fitness. Students complete the assessments in Physical Education class. NYC FITNESSGRAM is not a graded test, and the results are confidential.

You can view your child’s NYC FITNESSGRAM results and more information about NYC FITNESSGRAM on your NYC Schools Account.

You can also ask Mr. DeVito, your child’s PE teacher, to print out your child’s report. PE teachers can help you understand:

• How the test was administered
• What the results mean
• How your student can make a personal plan for staying healthy and fit

You may also want to share your child’s NYC FITNESSGRAM report with your health care provider. The NYC FITNESSGRAM reports can help start conversations about eating habits and levels of physical activity needed for good health.

What is on the NYC FITNESSGRAM assessment?

• Grades K-3: Students are measured for height and weight only.
• Grades 4-12: Students are measured for height and weight, and complete five fitness activities that assess strength, endurance, flexibility, and aerobic capacity.

Contacts

• To learn more about NYC FITNESSGRAM, email wellness@schools.nyc.gov.

Every school is required to conduct safety drills for emergency evacuation and lockdowns. The drills take place throughout the school year. Before the first of each type of drill, teachers give lessons to the students so they know what to expect. The lessons are posted on our website's safety drill page.

Our amazing art teacher, Ms. King, has a google classroom which all students  and parents should visit. Students can find assignments and links to fun art sites. Parents can find information about free museum days, exhibits of interest and view their child's work. Her Monthly Art Newsletter is also posted there. To access the site, sign in with the student's ps166 email and enter code: y53s4ke

Nominations are OPEN for the Big Apple Awards through February 28, 2023! Everyone is encouraged to nominate a teacher. Learn more by clicking here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/vision-and-mission/big-apple-awards

If you’re shopping on Amazon, please activate Amazon Smile by going to smile.amazon.com and selecting Friends of PS 166 Inc as the charity recipient. A percentage of each purchase will go to support our school!

PS 166 has a moderated Google discussion group that enables you to communicate and share useful information with other PS 166 parents/guardians.  If you have questions about pick up or drop off procedures or need a recommendation for a good babysitter, pediatrician or other service provider, feel free to post your questions to the group.  If you would like to send and/or receive reminders about upcoming school events or activities or would like to thank or congratulate another member for a job well done, this is the place to do it.  

If you would like to join, email moderatorps166@gmail.com.  Please include PS 166 Message Group in the subject line with your name and your child’s grade in the body of the message.

Gale Brewer’s office is giving out free test kits and masks available for pickup during business hours at her district office: 563 Columbus Ave. at 87th St., from 10 am – 5:30 pm. 

Both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent boosters have been authorized by the FDA and CDC for children as young as 5—Moderna for ages 6+, Pfizer for 5+. (“Bivalent” means the newest booster which helps target the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of Omicron.) You can search your ZIP code for availability of appointments for the new bivalent COVID booster at vaccines.gov. 

Flu season is soon and flu shots are available now. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that “all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated for influenza this fall, as vaccines remain the best way to prevent severe illness and keep kids in classrooms.”

Our school community relies on parents like you!  Please sign up here to learn more about volunteer opportunities, and to let us know what skills and services you may be able to share! We are specifically looking for:

• Scavenger Hunt Volunteers! Sign up with your friends!

• Teacher Appreciation Event Volunteers

• Volunteers with graphic design or programming experience to join our digital team!

Find out more about the fun events we have planned for this year here and learn about volunteer opportunities. Email our VP of Volunteers, Tiffany Boyer, with questions or ideas!

The chess program at PS 166 is a crown jewel at our school and one of the premier elementary school chess programs in the United States? Now in its 22nd year, the Manhattan Knights Chess Team boasts consistent top honors in all levels of tournament play. If your child is interested in participating in tournaments as a member of the chess team, please contact us to learn more.